OSHA's Conflict of Interest and Disclosure Form; Extension of the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) Approval of Information Collection (Paperwork) Requirements, 70572-70573 [2019-27576]

Download as PDF lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with NOTICES 70572 Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 246 / Monday, December 23, 2019 / Notices (16) The mining-through operation will be under the direct supervision of a certified official. Instructions concerning the mining-through operation will be issued only by the certified official in charge. (17) If the mine operator cannot find the well or if the anticipated intersection is missed, the operator must cease mining to assess for hazardous conditions, notify the MSHA District Manager, and use reasonable methods of locating the well. If the well cannot be located, the mine operator must notify the MSHA District Manager to resolve issues before mining resumes. (18) This modification does not affect the ability for MSHA representatives to interrupt or halt well intersection or to issue a withdrawal notice when deemed necessary. MSHA may issue a withdrawal of persons in the mine or a cessation of the well intersection verbally or by written order, including the basis for the order. The MSHA representative then needs to permit resumption for mining operations in the affected area to restart. (19) If the well is not plugged to the depth of all mineable coal seams that have been identified in the core hole logs, then any coal seams below the lowest plug will remain subject to the barrier requirements dictated by 30 CFR 75.1700, if developed in the future. (20) All involved miners will be trained on the contents of this petition prior to starting the process of plugging or re-plugging. (21) Mechanical bridge plugs will utilize the best available technologies required or recognized by the state regulatory agency and/or the oil and gas industry. (22) Within 30 days after the Proposed Decision and Order (PDO) becomes final, the operator will submit proposed revisions to be approved by the MSHA District Manager, as part of the 30 CFR 48 training plan. This will include initial and refresher training. The revisions are to include training on the above terms for all miners involved in well intersection prior to mining within 150 feet of the well which is to be mined through. (23) The required person under 30 CFR 75.1501 Emergency Evacuations is responsible for emergencies relating to the intersection and this person will review intersection procedures before the intersection occurs. (24) Within 30 days of when this PDO is finalized, the operator will submit a revised emergency evacuation and firefighting training program, required by 30 CFR 75.1502. The operator must revise the program to incorporate hazards and evacuation plans used for VerDate Sep<11>2014 19:32 Dec 20, 2019 Jkt 250001 well intersection. All underground miners will be trained in the above plan revisions within 30 days of submittal. (25) The petitioner asserts that the proposed alternative method will at all times guarantee no less than the same measure of protection from the potential hazards against which the existing standard for 30 CFR 75.1700 is intended to guard. Sheila McConnell, Director, Office of Standards, Regulations, and Variances. [FR Doc. 2019–27574 Filed 12–20–19; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4520–43–P DEPARTMENT OF LABOR Occupational Safety and Health Administration [Docket No. OSHA–2009–0042] OSHA’s Conflict of Interest and Disclosure Form; Extension of the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) Approval of Information Collection (Paperwork) Requirements Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Labor. ACTION: Request for public comments. AGENCY: OSHA solicits public comments concerning the proposal to extend the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) approval of the information collection requirements contained in the proposed Conflict of Interest (COI) and Disclosure Form, which will be used to determine whether or not a conflict of interest exists for a potential peer review panel member. DATES: Comments must be submitted (postmarked, sent, or received) by February 21, 2020. ADDRESSES: Electronically: You may submit comments and attachments electronically at https:// www.regulations.gov, which is the Federal eRulemaking Portal. Follow the instructions online for submitting comments. Facsimile: If your comments, including attachments, are not longer than 10 pages you may fax them to the OSHA Docket Office at (202) 693–1648. Mail, hand delivery, express mail, messenger, or courier service: When using this method, you must submit a copy of your comments and attachments to the OSHA Docket Office, OSHA Docket No. OSHA–2009–0042, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, U.S. Department of Labor, Room N–3653, 200 Constitution SUMMARY: PO 00000 Frm 00080 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20210. Deliveries (hand, express mail, messenger, and courier service) are accepted during the Docket Office’s normal business hours, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., ET. Instructions: All submissions must include the agency name and OSHA docket number (OSHA–2009–0042) for the Information Collection Request (ICR). All comments, including any personal information you provide, such as social security numbers and dates of birth, are placed in the public docket without change, and may be made available online at https:// www.regulations.gov. For further information on submitting comments see the ‘‘Public Participation’’ heading in the section of this notice titled SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION. Docket: To read or download comments or other material in the docket, go to https://www.regulations.gov or the OSHA Docket Office at the above address. All documents in the docket (including this Federal Register notice) are listed in the https:// www.regulations.gov index; however, some information (e.g., copyrighted material) is not publicly available to read or download from the website. All submissions, including copyrighted material, are available for inspection and copying at the OSHA Docket Office. You may also contact Theda Kenney at the below phone number to obtain a copy of the ICR. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Seleda Perryman or Theda Kenney, Directorate of Standards and Guidance, OSHA, U.S. Department of Labor; telephone (202) 693–2222. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: I. Background The Department of Labor, as part of the continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent (i.e., employer) burden, conducts a preclearance consultation program to provide the public with an opportunity to comment on proposed and continuing information collection requirements in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)). This program ensures that information is in the desired format, reporting burden (time and costs) is minimal, collection instruments are clearly understood, and OSHA’s estimate of the information collection burden is accurate. The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (the OSH Act) (29 U.S.C. 651 et seq.) authorizes information collection by employers as necessary or appropriate for enforcement of the OSH E:\FR\FM\23DEN1.SGM 23DEN1 Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 246 / Monday, December 23, 2019 / Notices Act or for developing information regarding the causes and prevention of occupational injuries, illnesses, and accidents (29 U.S.C. 657). The OSH Act also requires OSHA to obtain such information with minimum burden upon employers, especially those operating small businesses, and to reduce to the maximum extent feasible unnecessary duplication of efforts in obtaining information (29 U.S.C. 657). OSHA conducts peer reviews of a draft product for quality by specialists in the field who were not involved in producing the draft. The selection of participants in a peer review is based on expertise, with due consideration of independence. The Office of Management and Budget published the Final Information Quality Bulletin for Peer Review on December 15, 2004. The Bulletin states ‘‘. . . the agency must address reviewers’ potential conflicts of interest (including those stemming from ties to regulated businesses and other stakeholders) and independence from the agency.’’ The Bulletin requires agencies to adopt or adapt the committee selection policies employed by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) when selecting peer reviewers who are not Government employees. To fulfill this requirement, OSHA has developed a Conflict of Interest (COI) and Disclosure Form, based on NAS’ Conflict of Interest Disclosure form. This form will be used to determine whether or not a conflict exists for a potential peer review panel member. lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with NOTICES II. Special Issues for Comment OSHA has a particular interest in comments on the following issues: • Whether the proposed information collection requirements are necessary for the proper performance of the agency’s functions, including whether the information is useful; • The accuracy of OSHA’s estimate of the burden (time and costs) of the information collection requirements, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used; • The quality, utility, and clarity of the information collected; and • Ways to minimize the burden on employers who must comply; for example, by using automated or other technological information collection and transmission techniques. III. Proposed Actions There are no changes in burden hours from the previous Information Collection Request for obtaining the necessary background information and disclosure of conflict of interest information to ensure that invited experts are not compromised. There are VerDate Sep<11>2014 19:32 Dec 20, 2019 Jkt 250001 70573 no costs as discussed under Item 13 of the Supporting Statement. Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection. Title: OSHA’s Conflict of Interest (COI) and Disclosure Form. OMB Control Number: 1218–0255. Affected Public: Individuals and Households. Number of Respondents: 36. Frequency of Responses: On occasion. Total Responses: 36. Average Time per Response: OSHA estimates it will take one-half hour (0.5) to complete the COI Short form, and one (1) hour to complete the COI Long form. Estimated Total Burden Hours: 27. Estimated Cost (Operation and Maintenance): $0. Information on using the https:// www.regulations.gov website to submit comments and access the docket is available at the website’s ‘‘User Tips’’ link. Contact the OSHA Docket Office for information about materials not available from the website and for assistance in using the internet to locate docket submissions. IV. Public Participation—Submission of Comments on This Notice and Internet Access to Comments and Submissions You may submit comments in response to this document as follows: (1) Electronically at https:// www.regulations.gov, which is the Federal eRulemaking Portal; (2) by facsimile (fax); or (3) by hard copy. All comments, attachments, and other material must identify the agency name and the OSHA docket number for the ICR (Docket No. OSHA–2009–0042). You may supplement electronic submissions by uploading document files electronically. If you wish to mail additional materials in reference to an electronic or facsimile submission, you must submit them to the OSHA Docket Office (see the section of this notice titled ADDRESSES). The additional materials must clearly identify your electronic comments by your name, date, and the docket number so the agency can attach them to your comments. Because of security procedures, the use of regular mail may cause a significant delay in the receipt of comments. For information about security procedures concerning the delivery of materials by hand, express delivery, messenger, or courier service, please contact the OSHA Docket Office at (202) 693–2350, TTY (877) 889–5627. Comments and submissions are posted without change at https:// www.regulations.gov. Therefore, OSHA cautions commenters about submitting personal information such as social security numbers and dates of birth. Although all submissions are listed in the https://www.regulations.gov index, some information (e.g., copyrighted material) is not publicly available to read or download from this website. All submissions, including copyrighted material, are available for inspection and copying at the OSHA Docket Office. Signed at Washington, DC, on December 17, 2019. Loren Sweatt, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health. PO 00000 Frm 00081 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 V. Authority and Signature Loren Sweatt, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health, directed the preparation of this notice. The authority for this notice is the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3506 et seq.) and Secretary of Labor’s Order No. 1–2012 (77 FR 3912). [FR Doc. 2019–27576 Filed 12–20–19; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4510–26–P DEPARTMENT OF LABOR Veterans’ Employment and Training Service Advisory Committee on Veterans’ Employment, Training and Employer Outreach (ACVETEO): Meeting ACTION: Notice of open meeting. This notice sets forth the schedule and proposed agenda of a forthcoming meeting of the ACVETEO. The ACVETEO will discuss the DOL core programs and services that assist veterans seeking employment and raise employer awareness as to the advantages of hiring veterans. There will be an opportunity for individuals or organizations to address the committee. Any individual or organization that wishes to do so should contact Mr. Gregory Green at 202–693–4734. Individuals who will need accommodations for a disability in order to attend the meeting (e.g., interpreting services, assistive listening devices, and/or materials in alternative format) should notify the Advisory Committee no later than Monday, January 6, 2020 by contacting Mr. Gregory Green at 202– 693–4734. Requests made after this date will be reviewed, but availability of the requested accommodations cannot be guaranteed. The meeting site is accessible to individuals with disabilities. This Notice also describes the functions of the ACVETEO. Notice of this meeting is required under Section 10(a)(2) of the Federal Advisory SUMMARY: E:\FR\FM\23DEN1.SGM 23DEN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 246 (Monday, December 23, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 70572-70573]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-27576]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Occupational Safety and Health Administration

[Docket No. OSHA-2009-0042]


OSHA's Conflict of Interest and Disclosure Form; Extension of the 
Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) Approval of Information 
Collection (Paperwork) Requirements

AGENCY: Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Labor.

ACTION: Request for public comments.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: OSHA solicits public comments concerning the proposal to 
extend the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) approval of the 
information collection requirements contained in the proposed Conflict 
of Interest (COI) and Disclosure Form, which will be used to determine 
whether or not a conflict of interest exists for a potential peer 
review panel member.

DATES: Comments must be submitted (postmarked, sent, or received) by 
February 21, 2020.

ADDRESSES: 
    Electronically: You may submit comments and attachments 
electronically at https://www.regulations.gov, which is the Federal 
eRulemaking Portal. Follow the instructions online for submitting 
comments.
    Facsimile: If your comments, including attachments, are not longer 
than 10 pages you may fax them to the OSHA Docket Office at (202) 693-
1648.
    Mail, hand delivery, express mail, messenger, or courier service: 
When using this method, you must submit a copy of your comments and 
attachments to the OSHA Docket Office, OSHA Docket No. OSHA-2009-0042, 
Occupational Safety and Health Administration, U.S. Department of 
Labor, Room N-3653, 200 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20210. 
Deliveries (hand, express mail, messenger, and courier service) are 
accepted during the Docket Office's normal business hours, 10:00 a.m. 
to 3:00 p.m., ET.
    Instructions: All submissions must include the agency name and OSHA 
docket number (OSHA-2009-0042) for the Information Collection Request 
(ICR). All comments, including any personal information you provide, 
such as social security numbers and dates of birth, are placed in the 
public docket without change, and may be made available online at 
https://www.regulations.gov. For further information on submitting 
comments see the ``Public Participation'' heading in the section of 
this notice titled SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.
    Docket: To read or download comments or other material in the 
docket, go to https://www.regulations.gov or the OSHA Docket Office at 
the above address. All documents in the docket (including this Federal 
Register notice) are listed in the https://www.regulations.gov index; 
however, some information (e.g., copyrighted material) is not publicly 
available to read or download from the website. All submissions, 
including copyrighted material, are available for inspection and 
copying at the OSHA Docket Office. You may also contact Theda Kenney at 
the below phone number to obtain a copy of the ICR.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Seleda Perryman or Theda Kenney, 
Directorate of Standards and Guidance, OSHA, U.S. Department of Labor; 
telephone (202) 693-2222.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background

    The Department of Labor, as part of the continuing effort to reduce 
paperwork and respondent (i.e., employer) burden, conducts a 
preclearance consultation program to provide the public with an 
opportunity to comment on proposed and continuing information 
collection requirements in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act 
of 1995 (PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)). This program ensures that 
information is in the desired format, reporting burden (time and costs) 
is minimal, collection instruments are clearly understood, and OSHA's 
estimate of the information collection burden is accurate. The 
Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (the OSH Act) (29 U.S.C. 651 
et seq.) authorizes information collection by employers as necessary or 
appropriate for enforcement of the OSH

[[Page 70573]]

Act or for developing information regarding the causes and prevention 
of occupational injuries, illnesses, and accidents (29 U.S.C. 657). The 
OSH Act also requires OSHA to obtain such information with minimum 
burden upon employers, especially those operating small businesses, and 
to reduce to the maximum extent feasible unnecessary duplication of 
efforts in obtaining information (29 U.S.C. 657).
    OSHA conducts peer reviews of a draft product for quality by 
specialists in the field who were not involved in producing the draft. 
The selection of participants in a peer review is based on expertise, 
with due consideration of independence. The Office of Management and 
Budget published the Final Information Quality Bulletin for Peer Review 
on December 15, 2004. The Bulletin states ``. . . the agency must 
address reviewers' potential conflicts of interest (including those 
stemming from ties to regulated businesses and other stakeholders) and 
independence from the agency.'' The Bulletin requires agencies to adopt 
or adapt the committee selection policies employed by the National 
Academy of Sciences (NAS) when selecting peer reviewers who are not 
Government employees. To fulfill this requirement, OSHA has developed a 
Conflict of Interest (COI) and Disclosure Form, based on NAS' Conflict 
of Interest Disclosure form. This form will be used to determine 
whether or not a conflict exists for a potential peer review panel 
member.

II. Special Issues for Comment

    OSHA has a particular interest in comments on the following issues:
     Whether the proposed information collection requirements 
are necessary for the proper performance of the agency's functions, 
including whether the information is useful;
     The accuracy of OSHA's estimate of the burden (time and 
costs) of the information collection requirements, including the 
validity of the methodology and assumptions used;
     The quality, utility, and clarity of the information 
collected; and
     Ways to minimize the burden on employers who must comply; 
for example, by using automated or other technological information 
collection and transmission techniques.

III. Proposed Actions

    There are no changes in burden hours from the previous Information 
Collection Request for obtaining the necessary background information 
and disclosure of conflict of interest information to ensure that 
invited experts are not compromised. There are no costs as discussed 
under Item 13 of the Supporting Statement.
    Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.
    Title: OSHA's Conflict of Interest (COI) and Disclosure Form.
    OMB Control Number: 1218-0255.
    Affected Public: Individuals and Households.
    Number of Respondents: 36.
    Frequency of Responses: On occasion.
    Total Responses: 36.
    Average Time per Response: OSHA estimates it will take one-half 
hour (0.5) to complete the COI Short form, and one (1) hour to complete 
the COI Long form.
    Estimated Total Burden Hours: 27.
    Estimated Cost (Operation and Maintenance): $0.

IV. Public Participation--Submission of Comments on This Notice and 
Internet Access to Comments and Submissions

    You may submit comments in response to this document as follows: 
(1) Electronically at https://www.regulations.gov, which is the Federal 
eRulemaking Portal; (2) by facsimile (fax); or (3) by hard copy. All 
comments, attachments, and other material must identify the agency name 
and the OSHA docket number for the ICR (Docket No. OSHA-2009-0042). You 
may supplement electronic submissions by uploading document files 
electronically. If you wish to mail additional materials in reference 
to an electronic or facsimile submission, you must submit them to the 
OSHA Docket Office (see the section of this notice titled ADDRESSES). 
The additional materials must clearly identify your electronic comments 
by your name, date, and the docket number so the agency can attach them 
to your comments.
    Because of security procedures, the use of regular mail may cause a 
significant delay in the receipt of comments. For information about 
security procedures concerning the delivery of materials by hand, 
express delivery, messenger, or courier service, please contact the 
OSHA Docket Office at (202) 693-2350, TTY (877) 889-5627. Comments and 
submissions are posted without change at https://www.regulations.gov. 
Therefore, OSHA cautions commenters about submitting personal 
information such as social security numbers and dates of birth. 
Although all submissions are listed in the https://www.regulations.gov 
index, some information (e.g., copyrighted material) is not publicly 
available to read or download from this website. All submissions, 
including copyrighted material, are available for inspection and 
copying at the OSHA Docket Office. Information on using the https://www.regulations.gov website to submit comments and access the docket is 
available at the website's ``User Tips'' link. Contact the OSHA Docket 
Office for information about materials not available from the website 
and for assistance in using the internet to locate docket submissions.

V. Authority and Signature

    Loren Sweatt, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor for 
Occupational Safety and Health, directed the preparation of this 
notice. The authority for this notice is the Paperwork Reduction Act of 
1995 (44 U.S.C. 3506 et seq.) and Secretary of Labor's Order No. 1-2012 
(77 FR 3912).

    Signed at Washington, DC, on December 17, 2019.
Loren Sweatt,
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety 
and Health.
[FR Doc. 2019-27576 Filed 12-20-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4510-26-P
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